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John Fox returns to work as Denver Broncos' head coach

By Joan Niesen The Denver Post

Posted:
12/03/2013 12:01:00 AM MST

His voice is raspy, deep. When John Fox speaks, there's no doubting it's him.

After the Broncos coach returned to his team Monday four weeks after his aortic valve replacement surgery, players rattled off what they had missed about him. Attitude, energy, tenacity — you name it. Knowshon Moreno, though, listed something none of his teammates did.

That voice.

"His voice, his presence around the building," Moreno said. "We always know when Fox is around. You hear him down the hall."

Now, the Broncos won't have any trouble hearing that voice, the same one that was beamed into Dove Valley via Skype in November and visited them for a quick Thanksgiving pep talk last week. Fox is back, precisely at the four-week cutoff point his doctors permitted him to return, and though he's still negotiating his role in the coming weeks, what matters is that he's there.

Jack Del Rio is once again the Broncos' defensive coordinator after taking over for the ailing John Fox as interim head coach for four games. Denver went 3-1 in a stretch that included two games against the Chiefs and one vs. the Patriots. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

As the team prepares for the fourth quarter of its season, Fox will work his way back onto the sideline. He isn't sure yet whether he'll coach from the field or a box at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, and it seems he plans to let the week run its course before he makes a final decision. He's not going to overextend himself as he works his way back in after his time off, although "off" is a relative term.

While he was home in North Carolina recovering from his Nov. 4 surgery, Fox, who lost 10 pounds after the surgery, kept in contact with the Broncos through his iPad. That little screen bridged the gap between him and his team and allowed him to help with game plans and coaching. Fox watched the games, too, and after the team's dispiriting loss in New England, he was as keyed up as if he'd been on the sideline and was unable to sleep until about 2 a.m., he said.

"I had open-heart surgery, and watching those games was harder than any pain I felt (with that)," Fox said.

"Other than that I was in another state, (it was) much the same as what I would have done in my office at Dove Valley," he added.

That might sound like an undue amount of stress for a man coming off heart surgery, but Fox was clear in his message on Monday: This is not a lingering problem, nor was it brought on by lifestyle. Fox found out about his genetic heart defect all the way back in 1997, when he was the Giants' defensive coordinator. He's been monitoring it ever since, and though plans to delay the surgery until after the Broncos season ended failed, he said he feels healthier than he has in years.

Now that Fox is back, interim coach Jack Del Rio will return to his role as defensive coordinator, but little else will change. Fox said his case is just another instance of his favorite saying — next man up — and that his staff around him made stepping away less of a worry.

In the locker room Monday, Fox's players seemed thrilled to a man at his return. They're ready for things to resume to normal, though cornerback Chris Harris suggested there might even be a silver lining.

"I think he might be even more fiery, just being out so long and having that bye week. I think he'll be more fiery with the refs," Harris said. "We expect a more intense coach."

So maybe nothing has changed, and maybe nothing will. Or maybe, as Harris suspects, this whole ordeal will add a bit of urgency to the Broncos' final four games.

Wednesday, Oct. 30: The Broncos broke for their bye-week days off, which Fox planned to spend in North Carolina.

Thursday, Oct. 31: Fox had a preoperative appointment with his doctor, who advised him to seek medical care if he began to feel any discomfort. The two had agreed to postpone surgery on Fox's defective aortic valve until after the NFL season.

Saturday, Nov. 2: Fox experienced discomfort while on a golf course in Charlotte, N.C., and was hospitalized in the afternoon. By late evening, surgery was planned.

Tuesday, Nov. 12: Fox spoke to the Denver media on a conference call and affirmed his desire to return to the Broncos before the end of the season.

Wednesday: Fox returned to Denver after being cleared to fly by his doctors.

Thursday: Fox surprised the Broncos at their facility on Thanksgiving.

Monday: Fox returned to his duties as the team's head coach.

Joan Niesen, The Denver Post

Eye on... The Titans

Tennessee at Denver, 2:05 p.m., Sunday, KCNC-4; 850 AM, 103.5 FM

For the record: 5-7

Streaking: Tennessee lost 22-14 at Indianapolis on Sunday, 22-14 but won at Oakland the week before.

Who's hot: Linebacker Zach Brown, who had eight tackles, a sack and a pass defensed in Indianapolis.

Who's not: Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who against the Colts threw three interceptions, fumbled once and was sacked once for a 16-yard loss.

Key stat: Opponents have passed for an average of 212.6 yards against Tennessee's defense, the seventh-worst mark in the NFL.

FYI: The Titans are actually a better team on the road than at home, with three of their five victories coming in away games.

Coachspeak: "It puts us in a spot now where we've got to win four games in a row," Titans coach Mike Munchak said of his team's playoff hopes after losing in Indianapolis. "We have no control of what that may or may not mean." Joan Niesen, The Denver Post

Joan Niesen, The Denver Post

John Fox is glad to be back in his element, coaching the AFC-leading Broncos, after recovering from open-heart surgery. (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post)

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